Here is what happened last week for DAGA and our Democratic Attorneys General:

AG ROSENBLUM IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The feature in Marie Claire on DAGA Co-Chair Oregon AG Rosenblum by Caroline Rothstein highlights her leadership in the Oregon Attorneys General Office as well as among state AGs nationwide. AG Rosenblum shared that “being attorney general has caused me to focus on the importance of the courts in being able to be that back-stop when it looks like things are starting to just get out of control, and that has been the name of the game under the Trump administration.”

The profile puts a spotlight on AG Rosenblum’s national leadership on reproductive rights including her recent victory securing a nationwide injunction against the Trump administration’s Title X “Gag Rule” that would cut funding for family planning programs and muzzle doctors from sharing information on reproductive health options like abortion. Read the full Marie Claire profile here!

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE: AG CANDIDATE JENNIFER RILEY COLLINS

This week, Y’all Politics featured Mississippi’s Democratic AG candidate Jennifer Riley Collins, who is the current Executive Director of the ACLU of Mississippi and a 32-year veteran. “My entire life has been about serving people and protecting people and this opportunity to run for Attorney General is just a continuation of that,” Riley Collins said. “When I came back to Mississippi after serving in the military, I came with the intent to do the work for Mississippians,” said Riley Collins. “It’s what I’m called to do. It’s what I’ve always done. It is a continuation of a lifetime of service.” Read the full profile from Y’all Politics here and watch the short video here!

LAWSUIT RECAP

This week, Washington AG Bob Ferguson filed his 38^th lawsuit against the Trump administration, this one focusing on the Trump administration’s “conscience rule”—a new federal rule that gives health-care providers, insurers and employers more room to refuse to provide or pay for medical services that they feel violate their religious or moral beliefs. AG Ferguson argues this rule would “jeopardize access to reproductive health care, particularly for low-income and rural patients, and would allow providers to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals.” You can read more on AG Ferguson’s lawsuit here!

BACKGROUND:

Last week, a coalition led by New York AG James filed a suit against the Trump administration against the same “conscience rule.” “The rule illegally favors the personal views of health-care workers over the needs of patients — “at a dangerous price” of hobbling the ability of state-run health-care facilities to provide effective care” AG James and the coalition alleges in their lawsuit.

EVEN MORE:

California AG Becerra also brought a separate suit challenging the “conscience rule” noting that the rule “impedes access to basic care” and “encourages discrimination against vulnerable patients,” including women and LGBTQ individuals. AG Becerra said, “The Trump Administration should be expanding access to care, not opening the door to limitless denials of care for vulnerable patients and communities.”

AG SPOTLIGHT: ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

As we close out Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, DAGA captured a short video of Connecticut AG William Tong talking about what this month means to him as the first elected Chinese-American Attorney General in U.S. History. You can view the video on Twitter here and on Facebook here!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

The date has been set! On July 9^th, the Texas v US lawsuit on the Affordable Care Act will be heard. This case involves 21 Democratic AGs who are fiercely defending healthcare protections for millions of Americans against Republican AGs who are using taxpayer dollars to strip life-saving healthcare from families and communities nationwide. Read more about what is at stake here!